You Know What They Do To Guys Like Us In Prison (KELLIC) (boyxboy)

Chapter 12 - Final

[a/n This chapter is ridiculously long but I only wanted 12 official chapters and then the two intermissions and the epilogue so... Brace yourselves!]

Song of the Chapter: "Tangled in the Great Escape" by Pierce The Veil ft. Jason Butler

Vic's POV

"How did it go?"

"What did you say?"

"Did you win?"

"Are they letting you leave right away?"

As soon as the door to Cellblock D opened, the entire block practically attacked Kellin with questions about his court date. Officer Arteaga was leading him back to our cell, and it only took me one glance at Kellin's face to know what his answers were going to be.

"Oh my god," I spoke aloud in a shaky voice, and the other inmates fell silent at my words. Insensitively, Officer Arteaga hastily unlocked our cell and pushed Kellin into it roughly.

"Dinner's in two hours. Carlile's out today, and I'm not in the mood to deal with any shit," Arteaga concluded firmly, stiffly locking the door behind Kellin. His footsteps sounded like gunshots down the concrete hallway, the door to the hallway slamming behind him like all of our hearts breaking simultaneously.

"What happened?" Jeremy asked tentatively, breaking the silence in which we could pretend everything was actually okay. Kellin looked down at the ground, his hair falling into his sorrow-filled face.

"Um... I'm not being charged for the fire. But I still... my friends... they think I..." Kellin's words broke off and he began to tremble. I helped him sit at the edge of his bunk, putting an arm around his shaking shoulders.

"So... you lost?" Beau questioned in a hushed tone, unable to comprehend this result any more than the rest of us could. Kellin didn't reply with words. Instead, he buried his face in my shoulder and let himself cry.

Austin's POV

I had killed a man.

That sentence replayed itself over and over again as I drove myself home from the courthouse like a broken record in my head. It was a bit earlier than when I'd usually be leaving work at the penitentiary, so I was going to cook dinner for Alan and me. Ordinarily, I'd be ecstatic at the thought of spending a quiet evening at home with Alan.

Tonight I could only think about how my vote sentenced an innocent man to death.

"Hey, I saw Arteaga taking Kellin back to Cellblock D today! Did the trial go well?" Alan asked chirpily when he came home, casually placing his jacket over the back of a dining chair. I dug my fingernails into my palm, distracting myself by stirring the pot of spaghetti with a bit more interest than was necessary.

"It went fine. I... my vote was actually the deciding factor sentencing Kellin to death," I told him in a hollow voice, spooning tomato sauce over the pasta.

"But that's great! Doesn't it feel good to know you helped put away a murderer?" Alan pointed out, nonchalantly taking plates from the cupboard for us. It was surreal to be discussing something so dark while doing something as mundane as fixing supper. Silently, I scooped spaghetti onto the plates.

"I just... I had some doubts at the end. I really think he might've been-"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence," Alan said coldly, taking the plates and setting them on my kitchen table. I stayed quiet, pouring two glasses of wine with shaking hands.

"I'm just not sure," I muttered under my breath, sparking another razor-sharp glare from Alan.

"He is guilty, Aust. All the evidence points to his guilt. He's just a psycho with a good publicity team," Alan stated flatly, buttering slices of bread for our dinner.